Intro

Blue and red lights flashed. Broken glass scattered across the road, sparkling in the beams of light from the police vehicles. The rain finally stopped pouring as the wrecker came to take the mangled car away. 

Jack, the police captain, stood looking at the scene before him. The silver mini van looked as if a herd of bears mauled it. Scratches covered every surface of the vehicle. They left nothing but shards of glass to the windows. Dents pummeled down the passenger side. Something had also caved the roof in. The car was a crushed tuna can. His hands caressed the claw marks left on the side of the vehicle, tracing over the tears in the metal.

The passengers, a man and a woman, were found yards away and looked as if a cougar had attacked them.  Poor souls, thought Jack as he made his way to the victims.He had seen his fair share of death and despair through the years on the force, but this... This was an otherworldly, violent attack. This was…. Bloodshed.

 “Sir, what kind of animal would do this?” a baffled officer asked as he walked up beside Jack, eyes scouring the scene surrounding them, with his hand covering his nose and mouth.

The smell of blood was overpowering in the cool spring air. The captain sat back on his heels, surveying the massacre in front of him.

Jack just hung and shook his head. Not an animal at all.  “I don’t know, son. But hopefully, these souls didn’t suffer.”   I know they did, though. Our kind aren’t forgiving when we kill, he thought to himself.

A pair of first responders stepped up, one holding a backpack diaper bag. “We found this in the ditch alongside the highway, Captain. But we didn’t see a car seat or booster seat. Should we be looking for a child?”

Jack’s eyes searched the highway in a panic.  Please don’t let us find a baby.  Kids were a weakness to Jack; he had always wanted one of his own.

 “Better to be safe than sorry. Start where you found the bag. I’ll look on the wooded side of the road.” The officers split up and started searching. 

*clink *clink *clink

What was that? 

*clink *clink *clink

Jack had to focus on his hearing. Being a vampire allowed his senses to go into overdrive when he wanted. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the metal clinking sound.

*clink

THERE!

He whipped his head around and saw it; Just off the side of the road on the wood line. A purple car seat with its back towards the crash.  

Please. Please be alive.

Jack focused on the seat as he slowly walked up to it. He could hear a small heart beat. 

Thank you, Goddess.

He let out a relieved sigh with closed eyes as he tilted his face towards the skies.

Jack hurried to the seat and kneeled beside it. He glanced around to make sure there were no more threats, his hand instinctively went to his gun in his holster when he saw movement in the trees. Before he could react further, a sneeze caught his attention.

He slowly turned the car seat around and the biggest set of hypnotic green eyes he had ever seen met his gaze. The child’s chubby hands were playing with a silver necklace of some sort. She looked up at Jack, giggled, and reached out to him. Jack’s heart melted.

He held out his index finger, and she didn't hesitate to wrap her hand around it. The warmth from that simple contact surprised him. She didn’t seem to be affected by the cool air from the rain.

This little thing had probably witnessed the most horrific thing in her life and she was all smiles when she saw him. He cautiously lifted the car seat and made his way with the precious cargo towards the ambulance. She needed to be checked out by the paramedics.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ve got you.”